songsfortheday

‘Put On, Cologne (Studio A Sessions)’- Donovan Woods

Adam — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:26:03 +0000

There are any number of cliche words I could use to describe the music of Donovan Woods (heartbreaking, sincere, engaging and honest come to mind first, in case you were wondering) but none of then precisely explain why I love what he produces. I don’t have one that does, quite honestly, I just know that there’s something about the songs he writes that strike a chord in me, something about the warm urgency in his voice and the lush sounds he coaxes from the guitar and piano that back him up. That something is on full display during this take of ‘Put On, Cologne’ that he did for the Studio A Sessions.

Donovan Woods is currently putting the finishing touches on the EP from which ‘Put On, Cologne’ comes, Don’t Get Too Grand. You’ll certainly hear about it once it comes out, but until then you should do yourself a huge favor and check out the brilliant album he put out in 2010, The Widowmaker. Enjoy.

‘Gold’- Wake Owl

Adam — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:47:01 +0000

I’m going to be blunt about this (because this is about the 7th time I’ve tried to write this and I’m tired and fancy/big words aren’t working for me today): ‘Gold’ by Wake Owl is a monster of a song. It’s a song you’ll love the first time through and love even more the 30th. Everything, from the smoky, raspy verses, to the bridges that build with perfect intensity, to the soaring, triumphant choruses, works. It is, quite simply, a great song.

Wake Owl is giving away the Wild Country EP, their debut release on which you can find ‘Gold.’ It goes without saying, but you’ll want to take them up on their generous offer. Enjoy.

Thanks, Tim

‘Boxes in the Attic’- Eternal Fair

Adam — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:14:19 +0000

I’ve always had a mental block when it’s come to listening to summer songs during the winter months, finding tunes meant for open windows and sticky heat to feel as foreign as reading right to left when I’m all bundled up from head to toe. There has been no winter this year (aside from one real snow storm), and so I’ve found myself comfortably listening to (and enjoying) more and more summer jams during the months with long names, songs such as ‘Boxes in the Attic’ by Eternal Fair. Full of handclaps, a bouncy, contagious beat and a chorus that’s meant to be screamed as you cruise through the streets with the stereo blaring and the windows down, ‘Boxes in the Attic’ is tailor made for summer playlisting, and for the next few months it’ll be part of my mild winter soundtrack.

Eternal Fair has made Eternal Fair Vol. 1, their debut EP, available for free, so you can add this song (and the 3 others) to your personal soundtrack- they’ll make summer not seem so far away. Enjoy.

Monday Links

Adam — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:15:49 +0000

On Twitter I share links each day to various stuff that I think is great and/or worth people’s time. But not everyone that comes here is on Twitter, so I gather up the best of those links each Monday and post them here so everyone can get in on the fun. If you’ve missed any of the past Monday links (or just want to waste some time), check the archive of posts here. Enjoy.

The Lumineers’ debut album doesn’t come out until April 3rd, but you can stream it in full right now over on Soundcloud. It…well… it’s really freaking good. (edit: Annnnd… it looks like the record company pulled their own stream already. Which is unfortunate. I’ll let you know once it’s back- hopefully sooner rather than later) Oh, and be sure to head on over to Paste to grab their 4 song Tracks From the Attic EP for free (your email address is free).

Also hooking everyone up with a free download this last week were the Alabama Shakes. For free (again, your email is free) you can get ‘Heavy Chevy,’ a blistering little piece of rock & roll that won’t even appear on their debut album that’s due in April. Just go here. You’re a fool if you don’t take advantage of this deal.

NPR is streaming the upcoming albums from Y La Bamba and Fanfarlo. If you’re interested in either (or even if you’re not- they are both worth a shot, honestly), now’s the time to listen before you buy.

The Seattle Times’ Andrew Matson curated an exceptional 4 part Damien Jurado cover series last week featuring covers from Pickwick, Jon Russell from The Head and The Heart, Dolorean frontman Al Green and Jeremy Enigk from Sunny Day Real Estate. You’ll want to head on over there and give them a listen/download them (it’s free either way).

Speaking of Damien Jurado… his new album comes out tomorrow. The fact it’s not out yet didn’t stop John Heart Jackie from laying down an absolutely gorgeous cover of probably my favorite song so far this year, ‘Working Titles.’

Blind Pilot stopped by Yourstru.ly and spent a day rearranging their song ‘Half Moon.’ The below video is the (wonderfully tasty) fruit of that little project.

In celebration of Valentine’s Day this last week the band Boat To Row released a video of them covering Paul McCartney’s ‘Calico Skies,’ a criminally underappreciated love song. My big sister walked down the aisle to this song when she got married, so I’ll always have a soft spot for it. That and this is a really nice little cover.

This article on Deadspin about children’s music a) made me laugh and b) gave me nightmares about what could potentially happen when I have kids down the road. I will try my damnedest to make sure it doesn’t.

I’m starting to believe we aren’t going to have anymore winter/snow and that I should just move on to thinking about spring, so in that spirit I thought I’d mention the mix I made for the season that hasn’t been one last time, hope is January white. I’ll be taking down the zip of the mix pretty soon, so if you missed it before and would like it make sure you grab it ASAP.

My buddy Jessica over at New Music Collaborative reminded me Friday about this video of Matt Bishop from Hey Marseilles playing a solo version of ‘Rio.’ Man. I forgot how much I loved it.

And finally, we end this little update like we’ve ended a good number of other ones: with a video of a new song from Pickwick. This new song makes me even more impatient to hear that debut album they’ve been working on, and it strengthens my belief that people at SXSW are going to freak out when they see these guys next month.

‘There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve’- A.C. Newman

Adam — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:40:56 +0000

Another lazy Sunday, another day waking up with the desire to hear a song I hadn’t listened to in forever, this time ‘There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve’ by A.C. Newman. You don’t hear too many songs employing a pseudo-regal call and response between timpani and cymbals. Enjoy.

‘Granny’s Song’- The Old Believers

Adam — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:51:24 +0000

Remember when I posted that mix earlier this week of songs that had gotten lost in the clutter of my bloated iTunes library? I realized about 3 seconds after I pushed the Publish button that there were a number of other songs that easily could have been on there, first and foremost this gem from The Old Believers. Hearing it again has reminded me how much I loved ‘Granny’s Song’ when I first came across it a few years ago, the soul and fragility in the voices of Nelson Kempf and Keeley Boyle perfectly fitting the sometimes lush, sometimes sparse backing track. I missed hearing this. Enjoy.

‘Tallahassee Lassie (Freddy Cannon cover)’- The Record Company

Adam — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:39:31 +0000

Need some rock & roll to calm down from a week of Valentine’s and work stress? Sweet, cause that’s how things are going down here today thanks to this cover Freddy Cannon’s ‘Tallahassee Lassie’ by The Record Company. It’s a fun little diddy that a) sounds like it was recorded during the golden days of rock & roll and b) requires that you to smile and tap your foot and/or dance along to it. Nice little tune to roll into the weekend with, methinks.

You can download it for free for the next few days, right below, as a Valentine’s Day gift from the band to you. Nice guys. Enjoy.

‘Ho Hey’- The Lumineers

Adam — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:20:57 +0000

For the past year or so, ever since seeing this, ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers has been at the top of my ‘Songs I’ve Seen Awesome Videos Of But That Aren’t Yet Properly Released’ list. Yesterday, finally, it jumped from that list (the top spot is now held by Pickwick’s ‘Window Sill‘) and onto the short (but growing) list of my favorite songs released this year when the band put it out as the first single from their forthcoming debut album. The good news is that the the studio version doesn’t disappoint, dripping with the same joy, passion and sincerity that made me fall for it so hard in video form. The bad news (and it’s only bad because I’m impatient) is that we still need to wait until April 3rd to hear the rest of the tunes. I might just have this on repeat until then. Enjoy.

‘Fit Against the Country’- Horse Feathers

Adam — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:03:28 +0000

After hearing ‘Fit Against the Country, the first single from the forthcoming Horse Feathers album, I’ve come to what I believe is a solid conclusion: Horse Feathers has built a factory outside of Portland that houses machines designed to pump out beautiful, melancholy tunes, one after another. It’s really the only logical explanation I can come up with for how easily it seems Justin Ringle and the gang can time and again create sweeping, devastating tunes that are simultaneously delicate, lush, loud and soft. Or, you know, one (myself, perhaps) could also just accept that they are unbelievably good at what they do.

Cynic’s New Year is set to come out April 17th, an album you can pre-order right here. I’ll venture a guess that it’s going to be all sorts of breathtaking and gorgeous (since, you know, it was created by the same machines that created their three previous records…). Enjoy.

‘True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston cover)’- Hey Marseilles

Adam — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:23:14 +0000

I’m a sucker for love songs and for covers. Hey Marseilles went ahead and combined those two things (on Valentines’ Day, no less) with their wholly splendid cover of Daniel Johnston’s classic ‘True Love Will Find You In The End.’ Oh, and are giving away the fruits of their labor for free over on their Bandcamp page. They want to be your Valentine… real bad. Enjoy.